What is the Catholic Church's estimated net worth?

A:

Quick Answer

While it is difficult to come up with an exact figure, some sources, such as NBC News, estimate that the Catholic Church's net worth is $8 billion or more. Factors like lack of required financial disclosure and unknown value of precious works of art and architecture make it difficult to pin down the exact value of this massive political and religious organization.

In 2013, NBC News published an article referring to the Catholic Church as an "$8 billion global institution," but the exact dollar amount of the Church's total net worth is extremely difficult to pin down. The Church's finances are decentralized, essentially meaning that the Catholic Church doesn't have a single checking account that people can look at to understand its total value. Because it is a religious institution, the Church isn't required to disclose its financial holdings, adding another layer of mystery to the issue. Additionally, most of the Church's most impressive physical holdings, including all of the literally priceless works of art and architecture in the Vatican, have never been formally valued.